RCF upstage Metro

Medio Ram Lubhaya was instrumental in both the RCF’s goals. Striker Jasvir Singh slotted home from close range in the opening minute on a low cross of Naresh Kumar. Lubhaya, the play-maker for RCF put a through to Kumar on the right who sent a cross for the nippy striker.

Two minutes before the breather, Anjan Chatterjee was lucky to score the equaliser for MRSA as his cross from right landed in the RCF goal. RCF custodian Narinder Singh, who was expecting a cross failed to judge the flight and conceded an easy goal.

In the 72nd minute, Kumar scored the winner with an opportunistic goal for RCF. Lubhaya released a defencesplitting pass for Kumar in the striking area and MRSA custodian TT Mukherjee moved forward to block the shooting angle. But Kumar hustled the ball out of his possession and sent a rasping drive to bulge the net.

The second match was a keenly contested affair as Southern Railway, who lost the opener against Central were keen to be among the contenders for the quarter-final slot. But custodian Sivakumar denied them the single point.

Sivakumar fumbled over a cross from ER striker Biplah Shyam Choudhary seconds before the breather. Unmarked striker Prosanta Ghosh pounced on the rebound and headed home the only goal of the match.

SR mounted pressure on the opponents in the second-half. Substitute Arumugamam almost got the equaliser for the Chennai team in the 83th minute.

He unleashed a 35-yard shot but ER custodian Kaushik Paul came up with the best save of the day as he tipped the shot over the bar. In the last ten minutes, SR stepped up the raids. But strikers Tamilalagan, Ismail and substituteVasantha Kumar failed to convert any of them into goals.